Synopsis:A comprehensive study of the Bodhi-pakkhiya Dhamma, the classic set of teachings known as `the thirty-seven dhammas that contribute to awakening', which includes such familiar items as the four establishments of mindfulness and the noble eightfold path.

Drawing exhaustively on a wide range of sources, and in particular on the Pali texts, Gethin examines these 37 conditions both individually and collectively, revealing how early Buddhist thinkers understood the process of spiritual practice by which our ordinary consciousness can be transformed into the awakened consciousness characterized by the wisdom and compassion of a Buddha.

"Certain to become the definitive work on the subject." Damien Keown.

"A very thorough study of the Abhidharma texts, the complicated knots of which he unravels with great skill. An important contribution to the study of the Buddhist path to awakening." Professor J.W.De Jong.

"It should be read by everyone concerned with Buddhist thought, in whatever school or period." Steven Collins.